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Juggling timetables!


annaliesey

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54 minutes ago, Nicola H said:


i wonder if 'Sunday League' managers for  kids teams are so dismissive if their players get into the academies for  football or rugby ... 

given   CAT schemes  style themselves as ' same  quality  (and quantity)  of  teaching  as going away to vocational school'  ... 

From my, admittedly limited experience of kids sports, I think the attitude is very different. Certainly my son's club coaches really encourage their kids to get involved in opportunities that arise at a higher level, and even courses etc that other clubs are running.

I've got a theory on why it's different. I could be wrong, but it makes sense to me! I think it hinges on two factors. First is that most children's sports clubs and teams are community groups run by volunteers - nobody is trying to make a living out of them as a rule. Most local dance schools however are small businesses with at least one, possibly several teachers dependent on the income. Second is that sports tend to have national organising bodies, and quite a clearly defined pathway for young players to progress along. And whilst as you move further along that pathway the staff are professionals, they tend to be employed by the governing body and, depending on the sport, the costs of the training may be quite heavily subsidised. This contrasts again with dance where there are all kinds of schemes, many different paths to take, and the providers of the training are again largely private businesses. So I think some teachers are afraid of losing good pupils to other providers, partly because of the direct income from those pupils being lost, but also because they then lose the ability to "showcase" those dancers to attract new pupils. I've certainly heard of some teachers who think that if pupils attends associate scheme etc it is giving the message that their school can't provide everything that's needed.

Obviously you do get inter team rivalry in sports clubs too, and kids do switch teams on occasion, but it's not about money. And the expectation in all the sports that I know anything about is that a talented child will continue to play for their local club alongside moving up to county/academy level, so having those kids on the team strengthens the overall club.  They bring back what they've learned and the whole team benefits. Which is of course what should also happen in dance schools, but there seems to be a tendency for it not to - it's more individualistic somehow.

Of course not all schools and teachers are like that, but I do think the fact that dance training is an industry, and one where the trainee often pays the trainer handsomely makes a lot of difference.

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